The Consequences of a Marijuana Conviction

Scooter Libby gets off scot-free for lying and obstructing justice. What happens to those convicted of marijuana offenses? They face life-long consequences.

Marijuana Policy Project reports that The Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics has issued the first study of its kind on consequences of a pot conviction. It's available here.

Some of the findings:

Sanctions triggered by a marijuana conviction can include loss of access to food stamps, public housing, and student financial aid, as well as driver's license suspensions, loss of or ineligibility for professional licenses, other barriers to employment or promotion, and bars to adoption, voting, and jury service.

Sanctions triggered by felony marijuana convictions can be more severe than those for a violent crime — and a felony can be as little as growing one marijuana plant or possessing over 20 grams of marijuana.

The report even lists the sanctions by severity and state. Where's the best place for a convicted pot offender to live?

Marijuana offenders are subject to the most severe collateral sanctions in Florida, Delaware, Alabama, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Utah.

Marijuana offenders are subject to the least severe collateral sanctions in New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Missouri, and Maine.

Excellent, those few words say SO MUCH about a failed DRUG WAR!//Timothy (COmidnightrider46)

Let's NOT FORGET on the Colorado Medical Marijuana front, our NORML LEGAL COMMITTEE members have been working HARD, breaking new ground.

Denver, CO: On Tuesday, July 3, Chief Denver District Court Judge Larry Naves issued a temporary injunction blocking the enforcement of a rule limiting to five the number of patients to whom a caregiver can provide medical marijuana under state law.

This suit challenging the limitation on the number of patients a caregiver may serve was brought by NORML Legal Committee members Robert J. Corry and Sean McAllister, and Brian Vicente, the head of Sensible_Colorado, a medical marijuana advocacy group in the state.